Birthday Treasure
by Feral Phoenix
Summary: They say your birthday is supposed to be the best day of the year, but for Riku the jury's still out on that. His friends, however, are determined to make sure that this year he'll finally have a happy one. [RxS, matchmaker!Kairi. For Uzumakisama.]


Birthday Treasure

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. This oneshot is a birthday present for the great and wonderful Uzumaki-sama, because no one on the planet deserves a happier one than her in my humble opinion. No one else has so consistently delivered with excellent KH fanfiction over the years—and so, I hope she gets at least a little enjoyment out of this humble story, in repayment for all the love she's shown her hordes of rabid readers.

Riku knew from talking to other kids that usually, someone's birthday was the best day of his or her year. Parties and presents were their most common reasons; to some, what was better was that being a year older was a milestone of responsibility and independence, that they were getting closer to striking out on their own or that they had more of their parents' trust.

Well, okay, that was one thing Riku could count in today's favor: He was another year closer to finally, _finally _getting away from this _house._

Still—so he was seventeen now, so _what? _Nothing else had changed. He was still alone in the _giant _house that seemed to eat up half the island. His father was still on a business trip and his mother would still be at a company meeting all day.

Technically he was under house arrest: Grounded, for sneaking out to his and his friends' island to get some time with them—AKA _breathing room._ Much more time here, in the stifling air of the mansion, where every minute of conversation was about manners, performance, breeding, college preparations, high society—he would suffocate. His parents had to give him _some _time away from everyone else, at least. They didn't want their well-bred son, the symbol of all they had achieved in their lives, going publicly insane, did they?

Or not. Riku was under strict orders to stay inside and away from those "barbarians" he liked to be around. Glaring at the hastily penned note his mother had left on the table, he shook his head in disgust. She hadn't even acknowledged the fact that he'd come into the world seventeen years ago today.

Typical.

Well, she would be gone until at least eight tonight. So she couldn't _really _expect him to obey her distant commands, now could she?

Riku crossed the room and climbed onto the counter, opening the pantry and reaching into the back of the cabinet to pull out his cellphone. His parents used to hide it here when they were displeased with him; now _he _hid it here from _them _so they wouldn't be able to take it and see just how much he'd been calling Sora or Kairi or Tidus or whoever it was that had most recently incurred their ire.

He hit the speed dial, sat down with his legs dangling off the counter, and waited, running his free hand through his silver hair and playing with the open cabinet door with his phone elbow.

_Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. _He thought it in time to the swing of the door, and drummed his heels on the closed cabinets beneath him.

The dial tone rang and rang and rang, and finally there was a beep, and the familiar voice played into his ear.

_"Hi! You've reached Sora's cell. Um, sorry, but I guess I'm busy now, hehe. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!"_

There was a beep. Riku groaned.

"Hi, Sora. It's me. Just wondering where you are and why your phone is off. I'm free 'til eight tonight, in case you manage to _find _it before then."

He hit the talk button, and the grin faded from his face and the coy taunt from his voice as he glared at the phone frustratedly.

Alright. Okay. So Sora wasn't available. No big deal. Sora was Mr. Popular. He probably _had _misplaced his cell somewhere anyway. It wasn't a problem. He'd try back later.

Or call Sora's mom in a few minutes, and find out what was going on from the horse's mouth.

Yeah. That sounded like a plan.

Trying very hard not to pooch out his lower lip and sulk at his phone (it wasn't his _cell's_ fault Sora hadn't picked up, for heaven's sake), Riku gave a deflated-sounding sigh and hit the second speed dial option.

Okay. Time to move on to Plan B. Not as fun as Plan A, of course, but it was better than nothing. And better than bugging Sora's mom and potentially embarrassing Sora. And hey, it _was _his birthday. Two was a date, not a party.

Though a date would also be nice.

Riku chewed his lip and tried not to run his Pick Up Mantra. He would jinx himself and lose his second-best option for company today.

Even so, the dial tone played itself out, and there was a click, and then a bright feminine giggle sounded in his ear.

_"Hiiii! You've reached Kairi's cellphone. Sorry I didn't get to you right away! Leave your name and number and I'll call you back, 'kay?"_

As the second beep went off, Riku allowed himself a self-pitying groan. "Kairi—"

To his surprise, however, there was a sudden click and then Kairi's breathless voice. "OhmygawdRikuI'msorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She giggled. "I'm glad I made it before you hung up on me."

Riku closed the cabinet and sank back against it, relieved that he wouldn't be spending his birthday alone after all but still sour that he hadn't gotten Sora. "I wasn't gonna hang up _that _fast," he protested.

"Hee, yeah right. So what is it?"

"You know what today is," Riku said in as pitiful a voice as he could manage, rolling onto his back on the counter and pointing his toes at the ceiling. "I'm bored and lonely and _I need help."_

Kairi giggled again. "Okay, okay, Princess Riku, I'll come to the dark scary tower and save you. I'll be at the island in like, ten minutes. Then we'll vanquish the Evil King of Solitude together. I just have to finish setting up your birthday present first. Oooh, have you called Sora? Two's a date. We can't have him getting all jealous, riiiight?"

Riku smiled into the phone, glad Kairi understood. "I tried, but his cellphone seems to have been kidnapped by the Evil King's minions."

"Well, we can't have that, can we?" Kairi cracked up, obviously gleeful that he was continuing her rescue joke. "Try Her Majesty Queen Saiya. She'll know where Sora is and send him to the island to help us out ASAP. Just sneak out the window or something. I'm sure it's not as high and scary as Rapunzel's tower."

"Isn't the intrepid prince supposed to rescue the captured princess _himself, _instead of leaving the princess to her own devices?" Riku teased, sitting up with a groan and walking off in search of his shoes.

"Mmm, well, maybe, but some princesses just don't need much rescuing," Kairi replied, her voice wicked. "Besides, how's the intrepid prince supposed to distract the princess from the torment of her captivity with a treasure hunt if the prince doesn't have time to set it up?"

"You've got a point there," Riku said with a laugh. "I'll call Saiya, then I'll be right after you, okay? This princess _does _have a trick or two up her frilly sleeve."

"Hee." There was a slight pause as Riku shoved his shoes on, not bothering to untie and retie the laces, or even put on socks. He'd just take them off as soon as he got to the island, anyway. "Happy birthday, Princess Riku."

Riku grinned as he struggled into his shoes, pulling the tongues and the heels into order. "Thanks, Prince Kairi."

She giggled. "I'll see you in a little bit, okay?"

"Sure. And thank you. No, really, _thank you."_

And, frowning at his shoes, Riku hung up. Deciding that this was as good as he'd get them, he grabbed the house keys and went outside, locking up and dialing Sora's home number as he walked down towards the boats he and his friends always used to get to their island.

Saiya picked up on the second ring. "Hi, Riku!"

Riku grinned into the phone again, relieved. "Hi. Sorry to be abrupt, but is Sora around?"

"He's actually out on the island—he's been there all day, saying he wants to get your birthday surprise in order. Since I'm sure you're heading out there now, I'll just let you go!"

"Thanks a lot," Riku told her, said goodbye, and turned the phone off, sticking it in a pocket of his jeans along with the keys.

He truly hated his lonely life, but—he was so glad that he had his friends. With them, there were times when he felt like he almost didn't _need _his parents' love and attention.

---

By the time Riku got to the island, Kairi was already on the beach waving to him frantically, her long hair pulled back into a ponytail.

_"Rikuuuuu! _I thought you were never going to get here at this rate. Come on!"

Barely giving him the time to kick off his shoes, she grabbed his wrist and dragged him off down the beach. "So did you find out where Sora is?"

"His mom said he was already here somewhere," Riku replied, taking long steps until he was in stride with her. Having to look down at most of his childhood friends was disconcerting, but there were _definitely _times his height came in handy.

"Alright, then!" Kairi punched the air. "That makes our job today even _more _fun. See, while I was waiting, I hid your present somewhere on the island, and now all you have to do is find it! I'll even tell you if you're hot or cold, if you want to!"

"Unless I'm really in trouble, I'll rough it, but thanks," Riku replied, grinning down at her. Just a few moments in the company of a friend, knowing that he'd be with his boyfriend soon to top it off, had put him in a mood so good it was easy to forget he'd felt sorry for himself at all today.

And the two of them headed over the beach, around to the sets of stairs nearly overgrown with vines that led to the treehouses everyone had built here in years gone by.

Tidus and Wakka were knee-deep in the shallows there, ostensibly playing blitzball but probably just goofing around; Selphie was sitting on the steps watching them, alternately calling support and shouting abuse with the same broad grin.

"Hey, Selphie!" Kairi called, waving.

"Hey, Kairi! Happy birthday, Riku!" she replied, waving back.

"Have you seen Sora anywhere?" Riku asked as they drew closer.

"Nope—I know he's here, though," Selphie said, exchanging mischievous glances with Kairi. "Bet he's hiding. Have fun looking!"

"Hiding, huh?" Riku shook his head as they walked around towards the back of the island. There was really only one spot that Sora would choose. "C'mon, I think I've got an idea."

Riku led the way, pushing through bushes and past trees (jeez, how had everything gotten so _overgrown _in these past years?) until he finally reached a crack in the wall that formed the side of the hollow mountain in the island's center.

The two of them had to duck their heads and even crawl in one spot to get in here now. It was a little ironic, considering that some ten years ago this had been their favorite place on the island.

The first thing Riku saw when he got into the Secret Place was the wall covered in chalk doodles he, Sora, and Kairi had done when they'd been kids dreaming of adventures in other worlds. There was the drawing of him and Kairi—well, _Kairi _slaying a dragon while stick-figure Riku protected a badly drawn Sora bravely, and there was the one of the night sky. There was the one of the cloud city Kairi had read about in a book, and her painstaking doodles of the flying people who lived there.

And _there _was the one near the floor, where he and Sora had taken turns drawing each other. The one where Kairi had drawn them feeding each other paopu fruit when their backs had been turned.

Even now, Riku grinned bashfully and blushed a little at the memory. Whenever people asked how he and Sora had gotten together, his friends always had a good laugh and interjected that it wasn't so much that they'd _gotten _together, but that Kairi had _pushed _them together.

And it wasn't really that far from the truth.

The second thing Riku saw was the giant box sitting in the middle of the little cave, in front of the door that the "DO NOT TOUCH—love, Kairi" sign had been duct taped over. It was probably three feet tall or so, and it was covered in blue wrapping paper with bright yellow paopus printed all over it. Taped next to the big red ribbon on the lid was a note reading "To Riku, from Kairi".

Riku raised an eyebrow at her. She hid mad giggles behind her hand and motioned him forward. "Open it, silly!"

He just shook his head and walked forward, levering the lid off.

"RESCUED!" Sora flung his arms around Riku's chest, knocking the silver-haired boy over and spilling the box over with them. "I thought I'd be stuck in there _forever! _Next time give me some more _air holes, _Kairi!"

"Oh, you whine too much," she told him with a grin. She crossed her arms and shook her head. "Selphie made that way too easy, though. I'll have to tell her to let you have more fun next time."

Riku put an arm around Sora's shoulders and fixed Kairi with a _look. _"Hey, now, you pretend to rescue _me _only to kidnap _my _princess? What kind of chivalry is that, Prince Kairi?"

_"Princess?" _Sora protested, laughing. Riku ignored him.

"In fact, I don't think this is very much like Prince Kairi at all—" Riku grinned evilly at her and sat up, still half-hugging Sora. After what he judged to be a dramatic pause, he gasped in mock horror and pointed accusingly at her. _"No! _I know the truth! You _aren't _Prince Kairi at all—you're the Evil King of Solitude in disguise!"

Sora didn't seem to have been let into the joke before, but he joined it readily enough. "Oh, my _love, _it was _horrible!" _he cried in a falsetto, swooning against Riku and flinging his wrist back against his eyes melodramatically. "I was imprisoned by this _fiend, _and I've been waiting and waiting for you to come _save _me!"

"Well, we can't have _that, _now can we?" Riku stood up with a maniacal grin. "Let's get him!"

"Heek!" Kairi squealed and ran laughing for the entrance. "Noooo, don't hurt me! It was all Princess Sora's idea, I swear!"

"A likely story," Riku scoffed, even as Sora nodded in acquiescence with a bright grin and a silly-looking bow. "Come along, my fellow princess! Justice must be done!"

"For justice!" Sora cried, straightening back up. The two of them chased after Kairi as she ran as fast as she could, all three of them laughing so hard they could barely breathe.

Even half-dead with hysteria, Riku's chest felt warm and full. This—this was _exactly _what he'd needed today.

Right then, he didn't care that his parents probably wouldn't acknowledge his birthday at all this year. His friends had made it perfect—and that was all that mattered.

**Owari.**


End file.
